All too often a significant amount of people’s anxiety, problems and stress stem from two simple words: “What if?” For many people, “what if” is the most destructive two-word phrase in the English language.

Are you struggling to get along with your current partner? Have you had a string of relationships where everything started out great but things just fell apart? It’s possible that they were the problem. Maybe they were too clingy, narcissistic, insecure or overbearing. However, there might have been another reason why none of those relationships worked out. You may have been setting yourself up for failure.

Many people spend a lot of time talking about finding more balance and fulfillment in their lives, but often the words don’t translate into action. It seems that one of the few times when we do slow down, look within ourselves and take stock of our life is when we experience the loss of a loved one. We naturally start to reflect on our own life, our own mortality and what’s truly important to us.

Your identity determines your actions. Focusing on 'doing' before 'being' is like putting the cart before the horse. A "To-Be" list empowers you to take control of your own life, living based on your personal beliefs and decisions rather than allowing others to define who you are and to dictate how to live your life. It serves as a guide in deciding what you choose to do and affects how others see you and respond to you.

We've all watched someone carrying a full drink glass, moving ever so slowly and cautiously so as not to spill a drop. Alternatively, we've also seen a server dashing through a busy restaurant with a full tray of hot coffee cups filled to the brim without spilling a drop. How can one individual perform the task so effortlessly while the other struggles?

We use words each and every day to communicate and convey messages. Change the words, and you change the message. This applies to what we say, what we write, and most importantly to what we think.

Patience is a virtue, as is persistence. They are borne from an unwavering trust in self and are driven by an unyielding belief in what is possible, as demonstrated in the Chinese folktale of a bamboo farmer.